sleep apnea
We see a large number of clients who may have sleep apnea in our Hormone Health program. Sleep apnea can have a huge effect on how you are feeling and your overall health. The main types of sleep apnea are:
Obstructive sleep apnea, which is the more common form and occurs when throat muscles relax.
Central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
Complex sleep apnea syndrome, also known as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, which occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
The most common signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include:
loud snoring
episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which can be reported by another person
gasping for air during sleep
awakening with a dry mouth
morning headache
difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)
difficulty paying attention while awake
irritability
weight gain
vivid dreams and/or nightmares
chronic fatigue
frequent waking in the night
brain fog and/or poor concentration
what happens if sleep apnea is left untreated?
If left untreated, sleep apnea can result in a number of health problems including hypertension, stroke, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the muscle tissue of the heart), heart failure, diabetes, obesity and heart attacks
sleep apnea is a serious medical condition, complications can include:
Daytime fatigue: the repeated awakenings associated with sleep apnea make normal, restorative sleep impossible, making severe daytime drowsiness, fatigue and irritability likely.
Difficulty concentrating: you might have difficulty concentrating and find yourself falling asleep at work, while watching TV or even when driving. People with sleep apnea have an increased risk of motor vehicle and workplace accidents.
Mood disruptions: you might also feel quick-tempered, moody or depressed. Children and adolescents with sleep apnea might perform poorly in school or have behaviour problems.
Cardiovascular issues: sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during sleep apnea increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system. Having obstructive sleep apnea increases your risk of high blood pressure (hypertension). Obstructive sleep apnea might also increase your risk of recurrent heart attack, stroke and abnormal hemoglobin levels.
Irregular heartbeats: irregular heartbeats such as atrial fibrillation are seen more often in those with sleep apnea. If you have heart disease, multiple episodes of low blood oxygen (hypoxia or hypoxemia) can lead to sudden death from an irregular heartbeat.
Type 2 diabetes: having sleep apnea increases your risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome: this disorder, which includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood sugar and an increased waist circumference, is linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
Complications with medications and surgery.
Liver problems: people with sleep apnea are more likely to have abnormal results on liver function tests, and their livers are more likely to show signs of scarring (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease).
Sleep apnea can affect anyone, even children. You do not have to snore or be overweight to have sleep apnea. It can be genetic and run in the family. It is more common in men than women.
factors that increase the risk of sleep apnea include:
Excess weight,
Large neck circumference,
A narrowed airway,
Regular use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers
Smokers are three times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea
Nasal Congestion
Medical conditions that may increase the risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
Congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hormonal disorders, prior stroke and chronic lung diseases such as asthma
diagnosis of sleep apnea
Sleep apnea should be confirmed with testing. There are many businesses that will provide you with equipment to take home and conduct a sleep trial. Some convenient options for our Albertan clients include:
Advanced Respiratory Care Network
Sherwood Park, Edmonton area, Spruce Grove
Aveiro Sleep
Calgary, Lloydminster, Spruce Grove, Wainwright, Hinton, Red Deer
additional information
A CPAP Machine may be advised by clinic to treat sleep apnea. Your diagnosis can range from mild to severe sleep apnea. It can take you 6 months to get accustomed to the machine. Some of the newer machines come with an app to monitor their success. It can take time for machine and pressure to adjust. Patients should have their hoses replaced and machine brought in for maintenance yearly or as their clinic advises.
The cost of a machine is around $2500 - some insurance will cover and the cost can be added to a health spending account.
Testing may reveal that a CPAP machine may not be needed and lifestyle changes may be suggested. There may be oral medications recommended to address sleep issues.
Tonsillectomy, Tissue Removal or Tissue Shrinkage as surgical options may be recommended.
There are also implants which create new air way. Nerve stimulation or intra-oral laser treatment may be an option for some mild cases.
One other option may be a dental appliance that helps to thrust jaw forward to allow better air flow. Only certain dentists will do this.
There are different face masks that can used to find something that is comfortable for you. The machines are very quiet and not noisy at all. Most sleep partners report less sleep disturbance with the use of the machine than with snoring and breath holding associated with sleep apnea.
References
Cotey S, et al. (2014). Whatyou need to know about sleep apnea.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/09/diabetes-and-sleep-apnea-what-you-need-to-know/
Ejaz SM, et al. (2011).Obstructive sleep apnea and depression.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3173758/
GERD and sleep. (n.d.).
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/gerd-and-sleep
How is sleep apnea treated?(2012).
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sleepapnea/treatment
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015).Sleep apnea: Complications.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/basics/complications/con-20020286
Morgenstern M. (n.d.). Weightgain & sleep apnea.
http://amsleep.org/how-weight-gain-causes-sleep-apnea/
Olson EJ. (2015). Lack ofsleep: Can it make you sick?
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/lack-of-sleep/faq-20057757
Possible link between sleepapnea and erectile dysfunction. (n.d.).
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/possible-link-between-sleep-apnea-and-erectile-dysfunction
Quadri M. (209). Memory, sleepand obstructive sleep apnea.
https://go.aastweb.org/Resources/PDF/A2Zzz18_2/Memory.pdf
Sleep apnea and stroke, heartdisease. (2017).
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/MyHeartandStrokeNews/Sleep-Apnea-and-Heart-Disease-Stroke_UCM_441857_Article.jsp#.WTfg8TOZPUo
Sleep apnea and high bloodpressure: A dangerous pair. (2015).
https://www.cardiosmart.org/news-and-events/2015/05/sleep-apnea-and-high-blood-pressure-a-dangerous-pair
Sleep mini series #5: Sleepproblems in asthma and COPD.
https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/sleep-problems-asthma-copd.pdf
Sookoian S, et al. (2013).Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with fatty liver and abnormal liverenzymes: A meta-analysis. DOI:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23740153
What are the signs and symptomsof sleep apnea? (2010).
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sleepapnea/signs
What is sleep apnea? (2012).
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sleepapnea
Xu H, et al. (2016). Elevatedlow-density lipoprotein cholesterol is independently associated withobstructive sleep apnea: Evidence from a large-scale cross-sectional study.DOI:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26424733
